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{
    "id": 508847,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/508847/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 171,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Obure",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 118,
        "legal_name": "Christopher Mogere Obure",
        "slug": "christopher-obure"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. One of the greatest challenges to crop agriculture in this country since Independence is the availability and supply of fertiliser to farmers. I, therefore, thank the Mover of this Bill and the Senator who seconded it. It is my hope that the amendments being proposed will go some way in providing a solution to the big fertiliser question which, unfortunately, no successive regime since the 1960s has resolved. The size of high potential productive and arable land in Kenya is limited. This also applies to areas which receive reasonable amounts of rainfall. Available arable land is, therefore, put into production repeatedly every planting season. In my county, Kisii County, the little portion of arable land available is the only option available for the survival of families. This is their livelihood. Inevitably, therefore, every piece of arable land is put into use at every planting season. In a situation such as ours, Kisii County, application of fertiliser is therefore a compelling necessity. However, what is the experience of farmers at that level? At every planting season, farmers go out there looking for fertiliser and every important ingredient for farming considering our situation. That fertiliser is not available at the beginning of the planting season. When some forms of fertiliser are available at some point, the recommended variety is not available. The right variety finally surfaces too late and long after the planting season. Fertiliser in this country is associated with scarcity, poor distribution, high and unaffordable prices, misrepresentation of brands and outright cheating. The farmer is cheated, at times, by middlemen and by suppliers. All these have contributed to low productivity, poor yields and perpetual frustration to farmers. Lack of fertiliser or inability to obtain it at the right time has also contributed to the country’s record of food scarcity and insufficiency at family level. This has in many ways undermined efforts being made at achieving food security nationally. Failure to supply fertiliser to farmers at the right time and at affordable price is a major cause of increasing levels of poverty in this country. Let us look at the tea industry which we have been talking about lately. One of the reasons why tea farmers around the country, particularly small-scale tea farmers are frustrated is because of the cost of fertiliser and availability of the ingredient. The prices are far too high and many times, this leaves farmers badly positioned. If you look at what is going on today, in the small scale tea buying areas, you will see that some fertiliser was supplied in advance to farmers in the hope that when they are ultimately paid their bonuses or second payments, they would repay. They cannot pay because their earnings were far too low. Therefore, the cost of fertiliser should be a matter of great concern to all of us. Some of the functions of the proposed Board are to advice the Cabinet Secretary in matters related to fertiliser and the relative priority. This is okay. We are giving them a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}